


Until You Were There, Everywhere

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Something More [4]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-20 07:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2420942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“How old were you when you made it till midnight?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until You Were There, Everywhere

**Author's Note:**

> This is the _other_ Hotch and Emily, Season 5, canon universe where Haley dies. I like them though, they make me smile.

Emily was driving down Potomac listening to Bif Naked when her phone rang. Making sure her Bluetooth was secure in her ear; she turned down the music and turned on the phone.

“Prentiss,”

“Prentiss, its Hotchner.”

“Hi,” Her voice softened.

“Why so formal?”

“I'm driving; I didn’t know who it was.”

“Are you on your way here?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. Is everything alright?”

“Could you make a stop on the way for provisions?”

“What do you need?” She asked.

“Someone is down to his last drink box. World peace and the plight of the environment could be at stake if Jack doesn't have Cherry Juicy Juice with breakfast. If you could grab a bottle for him that would be terrific.”

“Juicy Juice, I got it. Anything else?”

“I thought we had popcorn but we don’t.” Hotch replied.

“Alright,” Emily saw a 7-11 so she turned into the parking lot and found a space. There was still plenty of snow on the ground from the Christmas storm; this was one of the better plowed lots she’d seen.

“I think that’s…oh, a bag of chocolate chips and a can of Redi-Whip.”

“Aaron Hotchner, this is supposed to be a PG evening.”

He laughed and that made Emily smile. It wasn’t often she got that laugh, and yes she was starting to feel as if it were all hers. Sometimes she could be possessive of things she truly loved.

“I promise you they're for non-naughty purposes.”

“Then I won't buy them.” She said. “I'm just kidding…I'm getting everything right now.”

“I’ll see you in a little while. Drive carefully.”

“I will.”

She climbed out of the SUV, shivering from the sudden blast of cold. There were a few shady characters in the convenience store; Emily followed them with her eyes as she grabbed up the few items she needed. At the register, the bored cashier took his time ringing her out.

“Hey, baby.” A young man leaned on the counter close to Emily as she paid with a twenty. “You lookin' for a good time tonight?”

“Not really.”

“I can rock your world, believe me.” He said.

“And I can ring your bell, trust me.”

“Damn, girl. I like a tough broad. That’s sexy.”

Emily took her bag, her change, and walked out with her hand on her Glock. God, the District could be so seedy. She got back in the car, putting the bag beside her on the passenger seat. She was on her way; there was a great night ahead.

***

“I'm gonna get the door, Daddy!” Jack exclaimed, running toward it in his socked feet.

“No, no buddy,” Hotch came out of the kitchen and scooped him up. “We’ll get it together.”

“OK.”

Hotch looked out the peephole and couldn’t contain his smile. Jack immediately picked up on it.

“Is it Emily?” He asked.

“Mmm hmm,”

“Let her in, Daddy!”

Hotch unlocked the door and opened it. Emily Prentiss stood in his hallway with a backpack over one shoulder and a 7-11 bag in her hand. She looked relaxed in blue jeans, boots, and a peacoat. Her long raven hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

“Hi, guys.”

“C'mon in.” Hotch said.

Emily did just that, kissing Jack’s cheek and then his father’s.

“We were waiting for you.” Jack said. “Now we can have dinner.”

“I hope I didn’t hold things up.”

“Don’t be silly.” Hotch put Jack on the floor. “Jack Jack, will you take Emily’s bag in the kitchen please?”

“OK.” Jack set off running.

Hotch smiled at Emily as she slid off her backpack and sat it by the closet door. She turned toward the closet; he came up behind her.

“What are you doing, Agent Hotchner?” She asked, hoping her nerves didn’t come through in her voice.

“I'm going to help you out of your coat. You don’t mind do you?” When he kissed behind her ear, Emily gripped his arm.

“I don't mind at all that you were raised right.”

She stood still as he reached around, unbuttoned the coat, and slid it off her shoulders. He carefully slid the wool scarf off as well. When Emily turned her head, Hotch kissed her lips.

“What's for dinner?” She asked.

“You're in for a real treat…Jack and I did a good job.”

Emily smiled as he put her coat in the closet. Holding hands, they walked into the kitchen where Jack was sitting at the table. Neither had ever seen him so calm.

“Its time for dinner now, right Daddy?”

“Yeah it is, buddy. Let’s show Emily what we made.”

***

Dinner, popcorn, and two _Pup Named Scooby Doo_ movies later, Jack was struggling to stay awake. It was a little after nine; he watched his bedtime come and go. Jack climbed into Emily’s lap and though he was trying, the warmth of being snuggled was pulling him under. Hotch could only look at the scene and smile. He smiled because it was adorable to see his son doing almost anything to stay awake.

He also smiled because Emily looked like a natural with a sleepy child in her arms. The two of them got close quickly…Hotch never saw Jack take to a virtual stranger the way he did to Emily. Seeing Emily with children always moved Hotch. Seeing her with his child made him think about things he surely had no business thinking about.

“Are you sleepy, Jack?” She asked.

“Nope,” He replied yawning. “Daddy said I could stay up with you.”

“Should we watch another movie?” Hotch asked, getting up to change the DVD.

“Let’s watch _The Rescuers_!” Jack got excited for a moment but then went back to lying close to Emily.

“ _The Rescuers_ it is.”

“Do you like _The Rescuers_ , Emily?” He asked.

“I love it.” She replied. “Bernard and Bianca are very brave mice.”

“Do you know the songs? Mommy always sang the songs with me. Can you sing them with me now?”

Emily looked over Jack’s head at his father as the DVD loaded. Hotch put on a reassuring smile but she saw the moisture in his eyes.

“I will definitely sing them with you.” She stroked his hair. “Daddy can sing with us too.”

“Daddy doesn’t know the songs.” Jack laughed.

“I know a few.” Hotch sat back on the couch, putting his arm around Emily and Jack. “How about I do the best I can?”

“As long as you do your best, you win.” Jack replied, mimicking his father’s frequent words.

That made Hotch smile and he kissed Jack’s forehead as the movie started.

***

“He’s sound asleep.” Hotch came out of Jack’s bedroom, leaving the door ajar.

“He did pretty well, it’s after ten o’clock. I'm surprised he held on as long as he did.”

“Jack is definitely a trooper.”

He came around to the couch where Emily was cuddling with a pillow. She’d taken off her boots and her sweater. The sight of her in a powder pink tank top wasn’t lost on her male companion.

“How old were you when you finally made it until midnight?” He asked.

“I remember almost making it at seven.” Emily replied. “I fell asleep on my Dad’s lap; he woke me up to see the ball drop. Mother went out that night and it was just the three of us. What about you?”

“I honestly don’t remember. I remember when I was 12 my cousin Garrett and I set off some fireworks at Nana Hotchner’s house. I nearly lost a few fingers and got skinned for waking up half the neighborhood that night.”

“So, you were a rebel?”

“Not even close.” Hotch grinned, his dimples coming out of their hiding place. “Would you like a drink? I bought a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle; I know its one of your favorites.”

“That sounds terrific.” Emily kept talking while Hotch went into the kitchen. “So, we could watch _Rebecca_ on TCM but it’s a little long so we might miss the ball drop. _Law and Order_ is playing a marathon so we could watch Jack McCoy smack around opposing counsel until 11:55.”

“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”

“I just wanna do what you wanna do.” She tilted her head back to look at him.

“Well, I was thinking about turning off the lights, lighting a few candles, relaxing on the couch and being with you, Emily.” Hotch replied.

“And Jack McCoy?”

“Why the hell not?”

Smiling, Emily turned the television to TNT. Hotch turned off the kitchen light as he made his way back into the living room with their drinks. He turned off the lamp beside the couch; dimmed the standing lamp in the corner of the room. He pulled a lighter out of his sweats pocket and lit candles around the room. Emily smiled when he slid beside her on the couch.

“Hello there.” He whispered.

She caressed his face and kissed him. Emily wasn’t sure what to do about it but she wanted to kiss him all the time. She needed to run her fingers through his hair, suck his bottom lip, and hear his whispery moan in her ear.

“Mmm, Aaron,”

“I've wanted to kiss you for a week.” Hotch said.

“What stopped you?” Emily stroked his cheek.

“I’ll get back to you on that.”

“You think about it while I kiss you some more.”

“Its impossible to think when we’re here like this.” He said.

“Alright, so no thinking, just kissing. Lie back with me, Hotch.”

His couch wasn’t the most comfortable in the world and not exactly built for two. Somehow they managed to find a position that didn’t strain her back or hurt his hip. Their kisses intensified, Hotch groaning as Emily’s leg moved between his. This was the first time they'd ever made out, though he felt weird calling it that. That was something horny teenagers did and Hotch hadn’t been a teenager in a long time. He could admit to being horny but…these feelings were practically foreign to him.

Emily Prentiss made his pulse quicken and his heart thump. He got butterflies in his stomach, dizziness in his head, and excitement everywhere else whenever she was in his arms. They'd been good kids so far…just a few chaste kisses here and there since Christmas. Hotch would be lying, through his teeth, if he said he didn’t want more. He desperately wanted it but knew once the line was crossed they couldn’t turn back.

Emily gasped for air when he finally set her mouth free. His lips trailed hot kisses across her collarbone and throat, gently sucking. She wanted him…she had never wanted someone so much in her life. Emily would lie alone at night in her bed thinking about Hotch and those thoughts made her quiver. He stimulated her in every way possible. He was smart, challenging, and kept Prentiss on her toes in the field. When they clicked out there, catching the bad guys, it was a rush. In his arms, surrendering to his affection, it was heaven on Earth. There had been many men but nothing like this.

“Hotch?”

“Hmm?” He gave her gentle Eskimo kisses.

“There are a few things we haven’t yet discussed.”

“Sleeping arrangements?”

“Mmm hmm,”

“I don’t want to sleep apart tonight, Emily. Nothing has to happen, I have no intention of pressuring you, but I need to hold you.”

“There is no pressure, I promise.” She replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I just…I don’t want Jack to be confused. Keeping him comfortable is very important to me. I know it’s important to you as well.”

“Jack’s not confused…he’s smarter than I am.”

“What do you mean?” Emily slid her hands under his shirt and caressed his back. His skin felt so good under her fingers. She wanted more of it; she wanted all of it.

“He asked me if I asked you to love us for Christmas.” Hotch replied.

“Aaron…”

“My son loves you, Emily. I love you but it’s not because my son loves you. It’s something else entirely.”

“I'm going out on a limb here and saying that I want this to work more than I've wanted anything in a long time. I want us to be happy.”

“Tell me how I can make you happy.” Hotch kissed her. “Tell me anything.”

“It’s not that hard, Aaron.” She said.

“So tell me.” He squeezed her some and Emily laughed.

“I just want you. Well, I want to be with you and Jack; though I wouldn’t mind a little alone time with you. I want to find a nice balance between work and personal life. I want you to smile a little more. I want to hear your breath in my ear when I fall asleep at night. That would make me happy.”

“You make me happy.” Hotch said. “I love your strength, your capacity to love, your determination, and your badass side.”

“I can be pretty badass.” Emily replied laughing.

“Yeah, you can. You can also empathize and comfort people during the hardest time of their lives. When you laugh, I feel it in my belly. It makes me want to share that moment with you. The feelings I have aren’t new, that’s the first thing you should know. I've been crazy about you for a long time but I've just recently allowed myself to believe it could happen.”

“It’s happening right now.”

“So you'll let me hold you tonight?” Hotch asked.

“As long as Jack is OK with us sharing a bed, then I'm OK. I mean I know that he doesn’t know what that means but…”

“His mother and I were divorced. Jack understands that as best a four year old can.”

“It really got to me tonight when he talked about Haley singing songs with him.” Emily said. “I know he misses her every single day.”

“Yes he does. I think her death made him cling a little more to you but if you weren't the person you were Jack wouldn’t love you so much. You’re amazing with him. Haley can't be here and that hurts; knowing you can and that you love him gives us hope.”

Emily wiped her tears and kissed his lips.

“I love you, Aaron Hotchner.”

“I love you too. I didn’t mean to distract you from your Jack McCoy fix…Morgan told me you had a crush on him.”

“A little distraction is good for you once in a while.” She said.

“You're good for me, all the time. I'm going to start, and hopefully end, this new decade showing you how much I mean that.”

Emily turned in his arms so they were spooning on the couch. It wasn’t the best spot in the world but they were together and waiting for midnight. After the ball dropped it would be bedtime. They would go to bed together; Emily didn’t think she’d ever been so nervous about that in her life. Nothing would happen because Jack was asleep in the next room and because she wasn’t ready yet. Just as their once cool professional demeanor took time to warm to friendship and then love, surely their first romantic interlude would as well.

Would letting it happen in some hotel room on the road break the thus far unspoken rules? They were in the field most of the time anyway, right? What would the team do when they figured it out? The friendship raised no eyebrows though Emily had taken a little gentle ribbing from her teammates. It didn’t matter to her…laughing at herself was easy with them.

Her poker face, the patented Prentiss poker face, allowed nothing through that she didn’t want to reveal. It failed her a few times but Emily didn’t think keeping this between them would be difficult. There were few things the two did better than be Hotch and Prentiss. She didn’t plan to let that change. Emily didn’t want too much to change.

“Hotch?”

“Yes?” He pulled her ponytail out, nuzzling her hair. My God, she smelled so good.

“There's something else that would make me happy.”

“Tell me,”

“Just hold onto me.” She slid her hand over his, lacing their fingers. “Hold onto me in the storms, just as tightly as you would on the sunny days.”

“I will. I promise not to let go; we’ll make it together.”

He knew what kind of promise he was making. He’d made it once, long ago, and tried his best to keep it. What he had with Emily would be different; Hotch would make sure of that. Taking it slow, talking, feeling and knowing each other was important. Lovers were different than friends, even the best of friends, and he was nearly wise enough to recognize that now. Hotch could do this, they could do this; of that he was sure. Nothing was going to get in the way of their trying.

***

  



End file.
